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woadwoman

stunning 'Red Silver' Helleborus foetidus

woadwoman
20 years ago

I've fallen in love with a new Helleborus foetidus, and, appropriately, got some more plants at Gossler Farms Nursery in Eugene, Oregon over the Valentine's Day weekend. This dramatic plant is a fairly new introduction from Northwest Garden Nursery in Eugene, owned by Ernie and Marietta O'Byrne. One of the parents is 'Sopron' from a selection Will McLewin made from seedlings he collected in Sopron, Hungary.

I bought some 'Red Silver' plants in November, and they look terrific with so many plants in our garden. It was hard to get them planted out, as I kept moving the containers around and liked them in so many places. So, obviously, I had to get some more!

'Red Silver' has a silvery sheen over its narrow, dark green foliage and red leaf petioles and stems. The deeply-dissected, narrow foliage makes an excellent backdrop for H. x hybridus flowers, especially those in the pink to purple range, so I'm dropping it behind or between plants of those colors. It contrasts nicely with H. argutifolius. I even put a clump near some dwarf santolina!

If you can't get to Gossler Farms yourself, it's in their on-line catalog at www.gosslerfarms.com. A one-gallon plant is $12. Roger Gossler, who is a good and reliable plantsman, says it comes true from seed.

In the Pacific Northwest, it seems to like a good bit of sun, but "sun" is a bit different concept in places like Seattle, Portland and Eugene than it is in many other places. I'm trying a patch in "real sun" here, where the summers are hot and bright, and will report back on how it does. It would be interesting to have a sun-loving foetidus to play with, wouldn't it?

Best,

Elizabeth

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